Women's Construction Forum

Step into a pastel-colored protest against drab housing. In 1980, a group of women working in the architecture and construction industry came together to form the Women's Construction Forum. They wanted to change housing construction, focus on everyday needs, and challenge a male-dominated industry by emphasizing women's experiences.

Without being invited, they took a seat at the exhibition Boplats 80 in Kungsträdgården in Stockholm. With a full-scale model of the common spaces in an apartment building, they showed alternatives to the often anonymous housing environments of the time. The installation is a colorful and pleasant protest against the often anonymous housing environments of the time. The hall and entrance are highlighted as social spaces where neighbors can meet, and every choice in the interior design – from tiles to plants – carries a larger message: architecture concerns everyone.

The installation attracts a lot of attention, but also skepticism from the exhibition's organizers, the Swedish Association of Architects. The campaign will be the start of a long-term commitment to changing the housing of the future and including more people who have influence in the construction industry.

In the fall of 2025, a full-scale reconstruction of the Women's Building Forum's contribution from Boplats 80 will be shown in ArkDe's collective exhibition. Step into a pastel-colored story about resistance, community and the power to change.